Fueling for Exercise and Recovery: How to Optimize Carbohydrate Intake

Summary:

Athletes continually seek strategies to improve performance, but not all methods marketed to this population are safe or effective. Adequate carbohydrate stores (muscle and liver glycogen) are critical for optimum athletic performance during aerobic activities, especially intermittent high-intensity work and prolonged endurance exercise. Fueling with adequate carbohydrates before, during, and after endurance exercise can enhance performance in endurance and ultra-endurance events. Recent research reveals that using multiple carbohydrate sources compared to a single source allows for a greater use of carbohydrate in events lasting more than 3 hours. Nutritional strategies that enhance carbohydrate availability before, during, and after exercise can improve an athlete’s performance.

Objectives:

The goal of this continuing education program is to provide registered dietitians, health educators, nurses, and physical therapists with guidelines on how athletes and active individuals should fuel before, during, and after exercise. After studying the information presented here, you will be able to:

Describe the rationale for ingestion of carbohydrates before, during, and after exercise based on a variety of factors, including body weight, exercise duration, and intensity of activity being performed.

Describe the effectiveness of intake of various forms and sources of carbohydrate and how intake of other substrates influences the body’s use of carbohydrate.

Identify current recommendations for protein intake during and after exercise to enhance carbohydrate usage and performance.

Approval Information

This course is intended for multiple professions, including dietitians, health educators, nurses, and physical therapists.

Health educators: Take this version of the course to ensure you receive appropriate credit.

Unless stated above, the planners and authors of this course have declared no relevant conflicts of interest that relate to this educational activity. Relias LLC guarantees this educational activity is free from bias.